by L. K. Kuhl
He came up behind me and wrapped me into him, whispering in my ear. “What are your plans tonight?”
“Claudia, Jenny, and Laura are taking me into Great Falls. We’re going shopping and then to a movie. They’re paying for everything. It’s their birthday treat for me.” I fumbled with an earring. His kisses proceeded down my neck, distracting me and making me quiver, losing all form of concentration.
He spun me around to face him, voice stern—tenderness dissipating. “That is all who’s going, right…no boys?”
“No, you don’t have to worry about that.” I smiled, tapping the end of his nose with my finger. “But if I don’t hurry up and get ready for school, I’ll be late.” The clock on my nightstand spun out of control, and if I didn’t leave in five minutes, the last bell would ring without me. I slipped to my closet, sliding on a pair of jeans and a beige blouse.
“You better promise me that, Sophia. I don’t do well with other boys coming around.”
I laughed at his warning, brushing my hair a final time. “Why would I do that? Don’t you trust me?”
He pulled me back to him and kissed me hard on the lips. “Don’t be foolish, you know I was joking. I won’t be home tonight. I’m staying the night at Dave’s. You go out and have fun with your friends, but I want you all to myself tomorrow night when it is actually your birthday.”
“Don’t worry…I’m saving tomorrow night just for us.” I kissed his cheek and grabbed up my purse that was draped over the arm of my desk chair. He brought his arms behind me, giving me a quick pinch before I smiled and closed the door.
* * *
With a fun night planned, the day dragged on longer than usual. I fidgeted nonstop, hoping to speed up time. It didn’t help. All the clocks in the world seemed to have stopped, making sure to prolong the agony and anticipation.
The last bell rang, and we burst through the school doors, excited whoops and hollers going up from the four of us. There wasn’t a shortage of grins when we piled into Laura’s gigantic gray car, its muffler roaring so loud we couldn’t hear each other talk, but knew it would have lots of room for shopping bags. Time raced as we traveled into the city of Great Falls, and we barely realized when Laura wheeled the car into the Westwing Mall parking lot.
We went inside and invaded every store in the mall, our arms bogged down with so many bags we couldn’t carry them all. Laura and Jenny rummaged through racks and racks of dresses for the upcoming homecoming dance. The hangers clanged on the metal clothes racks as they pulled them off one by one, gave them a quick inspection, then shoved them back in again when they couldn’t find the perfect one.
Claudia and I strolled to the bookstore, lured by the perfect combination of ink and paper, urging us to spend our money.
After our arms were heaped with boxes and bags, the four of us jumped back into the car, bound for the theater, the heady aroma of a million perfume samples polluting the small confines of the car.
Laura pulled the car into a parking stall, taking up two because she still had a hard time parking her big jalopy. We tumbled out of the car, our punch-drunk laughter resonating throughout the parking lot, and carried ourselves through the dark, advancing to the theater doors.
We ended up watching a sappy love story that had every one of us crying when we walked out, changing our slap-happy moods into somber ones.
With hushed tones we walked to the car, nobody saying much, but soon Laura’s hand shot up in the air to stop us. “What…ever. Forget this. This is supposed to be a fun night. We need to bring things to life again.” She looked around and her eyes lit up, growing wide. A group of guys were walking from the theater to their pickup.
“Hold on a sec, be right back.” She rushed over to them, her gestures animated, waving them down.
I stared at her and winced. “What is she doing?” But I was sure I knew the answer.
We leaned against the side of the car, waiting for her. It wasn’t long before she sprinted back to us, excitement glowing on her face, pointing over her shoulder. “Get in girls, we’re gonna follow that pickup.” She giggled and strapped her seat belt on. Her car turned over and over. “C’mon…c’mon Betsy ole girl, you can do it.” At last it roared to life after much heavy pumping and pumping on the pedal. “Yes! I knew she wouldn’t let us down.”
Claudia looked at me out of the corner of her eye and held on tight to the back of the seat. She whispered, cupping one hand to the side of her mouth. “This isn’t good.”
We followed close behind the rusty black pickup as it proceeded through a couple of stoplights, then turned right. It pulled into the Gas Fume convenience store, and a tall kid with a buzzed haircut jumped out, grabbing at his back pocket for his billfold, his other pocket displaying the familiar ring of a chew can.
Laura got out to talk to the other boys in the pickup.
Claudia peered over Jenny’s shoulder from the back seat. “What’s going on?”
Jenny looked back at us over her shoulder, a devious smile rippling across her face. “If it’s what I think it is, those boys are buying us alcohol.”
Five minutes later, the kid came out of the convenience store, a brown paper bag in his hand, the top of it rolled down for easier carrying. No one spoke as we watched him jump back into his pickup, joining the other two boys who had stayed waiting for him.
He stuck his head out the window. “Follow me.”
Laura ran back to the car and jumped in. His pickup cackled, speeding off with Laura’s big boat following close behind. We followed it to the outskirts of town and took the first gravel road to the west. After driving for twenty minutes, the tall pickup pulled into a hay meadow.
The boy jumped back out of the driver’s side and grabbed the paper bag off the seat. “Here you go, girls.”
We all followed suit with Laura and piled out of the car. He handed her the bag, and she excitedly unrolled it, peeking inside. “Looks good, boys. You want to join us?” She plucked out a twelve-pack of beer.
The other two boys in the pickup jumped out, giving the door a heave with a rugged leather boot. One of them had another twelve-pack stuffed under his arm. I rolled my neck, feeling a little wary about doing this. We were all only eighteen and should know better.
Laura noticed my stiff posture and the hesitant look on my face. “Oh, come on. It’s your birthday.” She shoved a cold can in my hand.
I shivered when the frigid can hit my warm skin, visions of Tate, Mandy, and Matt flashing in my mind. But I gave in, trying to push aside the visions and the pain that had surfaced in the back of my throat. Each of us took a beer, even Claudia, which surprised me.
Later on in the night, though, hers sat unopened by her side. She caught me eyeing it. “I’ll be your designated driver,” she whispered out of the corner of her mouth.
The boys introduced themselves as Kevin, Luke, and Riley, while we introduced ourselves to them. All seven of us sat for hours on a stack of hay bales, laughing and telling jokes.
We found out that the three boys lived in Great Falls and had already graduated from school. Kevin, the one who had bought the beer, had just turned twenty-one a couple of months ago. As the night wore on and the moon slid its way down the backside of the sky, Laura and Jenny latched on to Kevin and Riley, disappearing behind a larger stack of bales to make out.
I looked at my phone, shocked that it read a quarter after one. Goose bumps prickled my arms from the chilly air. I rubbed them and yawned. The half can of beer I managed to choke down made my head swim and my speech funny. I wasn’t going to drink any more.
Claudia and I snuck back to the car, deciding to wait for Jenny and Laura to come back. Luke stayed out on the bale and sipped at his beer.
After about fifteen minutes of waiting, I reached across the seat and honked the horn. A loud blast penetrated the still night air.
Laura stuck her head from around the edge of the bales. “Hold on a sec, and lay off the horn. Just give us a couple more minutes.”
Claudia sat in the driver’s seat, the engine revved. She stared at Laura who had the driver’s door open, ready to hop in. “You’re not driving us home if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m the DD.”
Laura shrugged, then opened up the other back door and slid in next to Jenny. The boys stayed out in the field to finish off their twelve-pack, Jenny and Laura waving at them through the darkened windows. As Claudia turned the corner to leave the field, Laura slid over and plopped her head on Jenny’s shoulder…out like a baby.
Chapter 25
Not making a sound, I snuck in the house. But my knee rammed the staircase banister, and the pain almost catapulted me through the roof. I cringed and slapped my hand over my mouth, trying to hold in a strident yelp. The room seemed to spin, and I swerved and swayed, hoping not to lose my balance, grabbing my sore knee.
“Sophia, is that you?” Mom yelled from her bedroom.
I hiccupped loud. “Yeah…just me, Mom.”
“Are you alright?”
“I’m…fine. Just banged up my knee a little.” I held my breath, hoping these loud hiccups would subside.
“Okay, just making sure. Good night.”
A trickle of blood ran down my knee, and I limped up the stairs to my bedroom. Frustration seized me when I couldn’t figure out why my door wouldn’t open. I grabbed clumps of my hair, looking to the ceiling, exhaling gruffly. Why me?
I pulled on the door twice and stood there scratching my head, wondering what I had to do to get into my room. The door swung open easily after I turned the knob and gave it a slight push. I realized I could be pretty obtuse sometimes, and didn’t need beer to accelerate my faults.
My breath caught as my gaze swept over an elegant bouquet of crimson red roses. The stunning, velvet spray sat on my desk, displayed in a lead-crystal vase—a satin red bow bound around it. I walked over to them, awestruck, and stuck my hand out, reaching, then pulling back again, afraid to touch and disturb their resplendency.
As I stepped closer, a white card stuck out from the middle, drawing my attention. From Aaron? I bent down and inhaled the rich, intoxicating aroma of the roses. Instantly jolted, the smell hit me, unlocking vibrant memories.
I reached for the card, and the exquisite handwriting made my mouth slacken. The beauty of it stopped my heart for a brief second, then it pounded wildly, bringing a smile to my face. Tate wrote it. My hands trembled, and my insides flopped upside down when I read his beautiful message.
My dearest Ladybug,
I’m sending you these flowers to express my love for you and to wish you a happy birthday. If you look closely, these flowers hold a unique beauty all their own, but they compare nothing to the beauty that you hold, inside and out. I keep you with me every day, and know that there will never be a love as true as ours. But even though I can never have you, I will carry you with me for all eternity.
Our love everlasting,
Love, Tate Forester
Weakened, I placed my hands to the sides of my head and steadied myself, stumbling to the bed. My head reeled, and I didn’t know for sure if it was from the alcohol or from Tate’s gift. I plunked down on the end of the bed and blew my hair out of my face, staring at the breathtaking arrangement, feeling a hard lump forming in my throat.
As I sat and looked at it, something about the flowers seemed odd…something way more extreme than just your everyday, run-of-the-mill roses. So I got up and inspected them closer. I counted them…eighteen—I figured for my age. All of them had their thorns intact on their stems.
Three odd ones stuck out from the middle of the other fifteen. I pulled the first one out. The rigid petals were shaped like a nose, and I giggled, probing deeper.
I pulled the next one out. It was shaped like a set of ruby-red lips—exactly like a newborn rose bud. The last one was in the shape of a hand, and five petals jutted out like fingers. Wondering if they were even real flowers, I studied them closer. Where had Tate gotten something so strange? But then, with Tate, anything was possible.
Lightly touching the velvet petals, I picked up the lip-shaped one again. The petals quivered beneath my fingertips—vibrating in a strange way. My hand jerked, and I fought the impulse to fling it across the room. Even though it took my breath away, I made myself hold on to it. The longer I held it, the more it urged me to grasp it tighter. As I did so, the whole flower moved inside of my hand, and the petals opened up, looking as though real lips were about to speak.
It reminded me of one of those plastic, singing flowers that come in the little flowerpots, but this one was real. The flower coaxed and pushed my hand up to my face, and the petals caressed me, lips opening and closing—devouring. Then it made its way down to my throat, brushing me with wet, sensuous kisses. I froze in fear, but as it continued, I released and relaxed, closing my eyes, lost in its rhythm.
I picked up the one shaped like a nose, and it moved the same way, running its tip along my body, inhaling and exhaling and making a soft sniffing sound. The hand came into play also and ran along my body, embracing me, massaging, leaving a heat as hot as fire burning in its wake.
Before I could blink, Tate appeared before me, the glow of a halo encompassing him, beautiful and mesmerizing. He was shirtless, dressed only in faded blue jeans, his hard abs shifting my heart into high gear.
My eyes appraised him, unable to pull away. “Oh, Tate. You’re here.”
He put his fingers against my lips to quiet me. “Shh, don’t say a word…just be.”
I stood silent and watched him. He took the three flowers from my trembling hands and opened his mouth. One by one he swallowed them whole, unfeeling of the thorns that tore and ripped at his mouth and throat. My hand flickered up to my lips, and I gasped. A few of the crimson petals fluttered to the floor and landed like drops of red blood below him.
“Don’t.” I reached for him, helpless.
He swallowed. “I’m fine, Sophia. I can’t feel, remember?”
A few seconds later, the flowers breathed life into him—a living human being. He came alive with color, breathing and feeling, his shadow from the glowing, autumn moon dancing on the hardwood floor that surrounded my desk.
He yanked me into him and gripped my shoulders hard, leaving my skin white from the imprints of his fingers. His mouth fell hard on my pursed lips. I eagerly searched for him, impatient and yearning. My body throbbed…intense.
He pulled away. “You feel so good, Sophia, just like I knew you would.” Tears glistened in the corners of his laughing eyes.
“You can feel me, Tate?”
He devoured me again. “Yeah, these flowers gave me the ability to taste, smell, and feel…everything that I couldn’t do.”
“Is this it?” I paused. My pulse pounded in my temples. “Is this what you meant by other alternatives? Oh, Tate…you’re alive. We can finally be together! You’ll be free from the Livids, now, too.” I threw myself into his arms.
He held me for a long time, then pulled me back into reality. “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, Ladybug, but it’s only temporary.” He smiled and caressed my chin with his thumb. “This, too, shall pass, and I’ll go back to being just an entity. But don’t look so sad, we have all night, and I intend to enjoy every second of it.”
I doubled over, taking a punch to the gut when he said this. But he grabbed my hand and hungrily led me to the bed. “Don’t worry. Just be glad I was given this chance to enjoy you, if only for a little while.”
“But will you be okay? What about the Livids? I worry about you, even though I need to keep you out of my mind. It’s so hard.”
He brushed the hair and the tears from my face. “Don’t, Sophia.”
He flung the sheets back, and, just like the gentleman that Tate always was, he held his arm out as an offering for me to get in first. With romance swimming in h
is eyes, he smiled, and I timidly smiled back, my eyes fluttering down to the floor, trying hard to wipe the despair of him having to leave again off my face. Straighten up, Sophia, this is Tate, and you need to be happy, and enjoy the time that you do have with him.
He slid in next to me, and his eyes smoldered as he took in my body, almost as if it were the first time he had ever seen me. It astonished me at how warm he was, to have life running thick through his veins. His breath came in hot, moist patterns and his lips brushed at my shoulders, his fingertips…tickling, pulling down the straps of my white tank top.
With painstaking slowness, he brushed his lips, his teeth grazing my shoulders, his fondling hands gliding over every inch of me. He inhaled deeply, capturing my every scent, trying to commit it to memory because he knew this moment was fleeting.
I answered back, returning his passionate kisses, my body urging him, wanting more. But Tate stopped me, subduing the tension, letting me know I would stay unblemished.
He then pulled me up from the bed and took me in his arms. We danced in the middle of my bedroom floor to no music, just his beautiful humming that left me enthralled and entranced. The feel of his warm hands and arms holding me, and his balmy breath on my face were too much to take in. I rubbed my hand over his hot cheeks to make sure this was real, to make sure I wasn’t dreaming all of this.
We danced for hours under the moonlight streaming in through my window, then we got back into bed. I rolled over to him and weaved under his other arm to cuddle up close, feeling his racing heart next to me, keeping perfect rhythm with mine. “I don’t think I can handle you leaving me again, Tate. I’d just started getting used to us being over, and I…I thought I was doing a pretty good job of forcing you out of my mind, until now. After this, I know I won’t ever be able to stop loving you or thinking about you.”
I ran my fingers over his chest, tracing them in a figure-eight pattern, still reveling in the fact that he felt so warm and good and…human. “And every time I do, I get scared, knowing I’m chasing you away, and you’ll be gone.”